Paint spray booths are often used for painting objects and are frequently incorporated within industrial and manufacturing operations, including, but not limited to, the automotive, aerospace, marine, collision repair and furniture industries. Because of the complex nature of such painting operations, robotic equipment is often used to assist with applying the paint onto the desired objects. Because the paint is applied to these objects through a spraying application, the robotic equipment is susceptible to having some of the airborne paint particles accumulate on its surface, thereby potentially damaging the equipment and/or contaminating the object being painted if some of the wet or dried paint drips/sheds off during the process.
In addition to the airborne paint potentially interfering with the sprayed objects and/or robotic equipment, it is also possible for the overspray to cause a layer of tacky or dried paint to accumulate on the walls of the paint booth. To remove this accumulated paint residue, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other such chemical solvents are often used. However, as these VOCs are costly and known to be environmentally hazardous, it is desirable to avoid their use.
One process that has been used to address the above-referenced problems is to drape loose cloth shrouds over various portions of the robotic equipment and/or the walls of the paint booth so that the airborne paint particles are not allowed to accumulate directly on the associated equipment or surrounding structures. However, these shrouds often still allow dry paint particles (or lint) to shed off during the painting process, as well as require frequent cleaning. Another alternative solution is to apply a tacky coat or white grease to the surrounding environment, including the walls, windows, conveyors, pumps, hoses, floors and purge stations. In order to clean these areas, however, several hundred hours of manpower and consumables are required, as well as dangerous equipment and strong VOCs must be used to complete the cleaning process. In addition, the VOCs or other chemical solvents must be dealt with in an environmentally-friendly manner, and it can be difficult to separate these chemicals from the equipment and cloth shrouds in such a manner.
The present invention overcomes or ameliorates at least one of the prior art disadvantages discussed above or provides a useful alternative thereto.